Wire fence.



PATENTED OCT. 16, 1906.

G. R. WALES.

WIRE FENCE.

APPLIQATION FILED PEB- 5, 1906- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

Application filed February 5,1906. Serial No. 299,397.

To all. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. WALES, of Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Fences, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire fencing adapted to be put upon themarket in continuous pieces of indeterminate length rolled or otherwise reduced to compact'form; and it has for its object to provide a wire-fence construction of superior strength and durability adapted to be manufactured at a mlnimum expense by automatic means, the product being a fence which is not affected by the expansion and contraction of its members and is capable of being manufactured at a relatively small expense.

The invention consists in the improved fence construction, Which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved fence. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of the clip which unites the strands or wire members of the fence.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

My improved fence comprises top and bottom wire members a a, which are substantially straight, and intermediate members b b, which are of zigzag form and are disposed with the angles or outer portions of the bends .of each member in'contact with the angles or outer portions of the bends of other members, as shown in Fig. 1, the alternate angles of the outer members I; b' in contact with the top and bottom members a. Each salient angle therefore is in contact with an adjacent wire member. The members are connected at their contacting points by means of sheet-metal clips or yokes 0, each formed by bending a blank of sheet metal to form two cars arranged side by side and a neck connecting said ears, the ears and neck being formed to bestride the contacting portions of two of the wires. The earsare provided with perforations to receive rivets d, which are employed to fasten the ears together.

It will be seen by reference to the drawings that the clips or yokes c are applied to all the contacting portions of the wire members and when secured by the rivets (1 constitute strong and durable couplings connecting the wires in pairs. At the same time the yokes and their rivets are free from positive engagement with the wire members, so that all are free to slip to a limited extent, as may be required by expansion and contraction. In practice the yokes are adapted to slip freely on the top and bottom members a without limitation, while their slippage on the intermediate members I) will of course be limited by the angular formation of said members. The construction of the clips or yokes c is such that they are adapted to be applied to the assembled wire members and secured by the rivets (1 very conveniently and easily and by simple automatic means or otherwise. The tensile strength of the sheet metal of which the clips 0 and rivets d are composed is utilized by the arrangement of the clips and rivets relatively to each other and to the wires shown in the drawings, the

arrangement being such that there is no liability of transverse cracking or breaking of either the clips or the rivets.

The yoke portions of the clips are preferably curved, their outer surfaces being concave and their inner surfaces convex. This form adapts the yoke portions of the clips to the angular formation of the wire and facilitates the slippage between the clips and wires occasioned by expansion and contraction.

I claim 1. A wire fence composed of longitudinal wire members formed to contact with each other at a plurality of points, and couplings composed of sheet-metal clips having perforations and formed to bestride the contacting portions of the wires, and rivets uniting the end portions of the clips.

2. A wire fence comprising substantially straight top and bottom wire members, intermediate' zigzag members, the said members contacting with each other at a plurality of points, and sheet-metal clips bent to bestride the contacting portions of the wires and having their end portions provided with perforations and riveted together, the neck portions of the clips being curved.

In testimony whereof I haveaffixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE R. WALES.

Witnesses:

ANNA T. CASH, FRANK B. BAKER. 

